News From January 2004

DEKLINE Spring 2004 footwear line will be in your local shop by the end of the month. As you read this we are unloading our shipment, getting ready to begin shipping Feb 2, 2004 as promised. Check with your shop to see if they are scheduled to get it in or atleast on the list to get it before this season is sold out. To find a shop in your area use our "Shop Locator". FIND IT!

Wed.
Josh Beagle, Gareth Stehr, Adrian Mallory, and Slash flew out of San Diego to meet up with Johnny Layton, Sammy Baca, and Steve Fauser in Tampa Airport to make way to the Tampa Goddamn Am contest. After forgetting Steve at the airport we arrived at our hotel near the Skate Park of Tampa. Shortly after Steve arrives at the park by hitching a ride with this big friendly JOCK. Everybody got in a little practice and then we all decide to go to Ybor for a night on the town.

After eating some Mongolian BBQ with our friendly waitress Jen we all decided to check out the nightlife. At first sight of females Sammy decides to run up and jump in this drunk girls arms for a hug and they both slammed into the ground bumming them out. After getting up Gareth said “sweet tackle” and Sammy replied, “Hell yeah and I got a hump in too”. After the bummed girls left we all headed to the Green Room laughing, which would become our new rally point.

After many drinks and meeting up with James Atkins, D.J. Chavez, and Lizard we decided to roam the streets of Ybor looking for anything to happen. Lizard sees a couple on the street and asked for a light. Upon receiving the light he proceeds to hit on the huge guys girlfriend. Words were exchanged and lizard gets socked and tossed around. After all this and alot more that we are unable to divulge, everyone headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep.

Thurs.
Everybody up and at the park by 10 AM and practices all day. Sammy nails out runs consisting of ollie airwalks over the pyramid, no comply tail slides on the quarter and smith grind tail grabs across the long flatbar. Adrian was blasting giant fs nosebones on the quarter, nosegrind 180’s on the flatbar, fs krooks on the big rail, and generally going faster and bigger than most. Gareth Stehr was flying huge bs 180’s over the whole pyramid, bs over krooks on the rail and sported a lot of flair. Johnny Layton was busting fs feebles to fakie and bs tail shuvs on the big rail, nollie fs feebles on the flatbar, and ripping everything in sight. New Pig Am Steve Fauser hurts his knee and flies home earlier to get an MRI. Dj Chavez was cruising the course ripping it with his solid flow with tricks like full cabs, bs lips, and fs tails on the big rail. Lizard was cruising around rocking his own smooth style and doing some sick one footed maneuvers.

After practice we all went back to the ghetto fabulous hotel and met up with Leo Romero, Matt Allen, Justin Reagan and Bryan Herman. We chill for a while and then the races begin. The races consisted of 2 guys running from one end of the hotel to the other and back, which sounds a lot easier that it was. Here are the results. Herman beats Romero. Gareth beats Herman. Undefeated Gareth is challenged by Slash, Gareth kicks ass and is sick for hours after, and Leo beats Matt.

After the races we all decide to go out for another night in Ybor City. We go to the Green Room once again for drinks and chitchat.

Fri.
Wake up and off to the first day of the contest which was qualifying. Leo, Matt, Sammy, James and Gareth all skated this day. James showed up a minute before his run with no practice, while hungover and went on to land nothing. Leo skated amazingly doing Nollie nosegrinds on the hubba, overkrooks on the handrail, kickflip fs 50-50 on the rail, ect. Matt skated good with a sweet bs 360 in his run topped off with nosegrinds on the big rail. Sammy started his run off with a big ollie airwalk over the pyramid, a smith grind tailgrab (which he landed all day in practice) and fell. After falling he decided he was over it and cruised out to the mini ramp to skate. Gareth cruised around doing stylish crail grabs over the pyramid, tailslides on the big quarter and bs nosegrinds on the hubba forgetting to do his giant bs 180 over the whole pyramid like he was doing the day before.

After meeting up with Barker, getting the results and realizing we have been robbed of anyone qualifying for the finals this day. We all piled in the van and went to the after party at the Masquerade. After seeing a few shitty bands and drinking a lot of free beer Matt Allen gets himself kicked out. Barker goes out to see what the problem was and Matt is nowhere to be found. From here half of us went to the Green Room and the other half went to the Castle (a crappy Goth industrial club). After awhile of Gareth and Lance dancing all over the place we meet back up with everybody at the Green Room for more drinks and then back to the hotel except Slash who found himself a fat hunk of love.

Sat.
Woke up, went to Dennys (the first real food of the trip) and then off to the contest again.
Adrian, Trevor Dunnet, Johnny, and DJ skate today. Adrian kills the course with huge fs airs on the quarter, fs noseslides on the big handrail, nosegrind 180’s on the long flatbar, and bs smiths on the small rail. Trevor cruises the course fast and smooth with nollie fs boardslides on the flatbar, big ollies over the pyramid, and bs lipslides on the big rail. Johnny starts his run off with a nollie fs feeble on the flatbar then a fs air on the quarter followed by a fs feeble on the big rail. DJ warms up with a beer not taking any practice runs and skated an almost flawless run. He did full cabs over the hip, 5-0s the big rail, and an ollie to 4 wheel slide over the pyramid.

After everyone skated we got the results for the semi finals. Adrian Mallory from Pig Wood and Toy Machines (Flow) Trevor Dunnet did it. They have made it into the semi finals out of 220 entries that where cut down to 36 semi finalists. After this we had to celebrate and celebrate we did starting out at our ghetto fabulous rooms. Everyone came over for beers, the new Foundation “That’s Life” teaser, fireworks, and races. After some time and quite a few drinks we make our way to the now infamous Green Room.

Once arriving at the green room Sammy let’s everyone and there mother know we have arrived by tossing a brick of fireworks on the dance floor immediately getting kicked out for the first of the five times he got kicked out that night. After sneaking back in the first time he ralleys Leo to go on a mission in the streets with fireworks in hand. They go out terrorizing people and then come running back with some funny stories. Sammy sneaks back in and is thrown out once more when another bouncer sees him with a beer in his hand. Sammy goes on a recon mission to get himself back in by climbing this monstrous spiked fence which he falls straight to his back on his first attempt. He finally makes it over and has another beer after getting a disguise together. Leo decides to go on a solo firecracker mission and finds by throwing firecrackers at a bouncer in a bar he can get punched square in the face. Leo comes back to the green Room with a fat lip and some bruises and grabs a beer to ease the pain. Sammy is kicked out once more for drinking another beer and I walk out with him and notice Adrian laying on the ground puking his head off. I pick Adrian up, walk him back inside to notice Slash passed out on the bench. I give Slash $20.00 and send him and Adrian back to the hotel. Leo pulls out his firecrackers and throws them in this girls face and she gets blistering mad and throws her beer in Leo’s face. Leo then proceeds to throw like 4 beers on her. Things are starting to get out of hand so we all decide to leave.

Sun.
Wake up, eat Denny’s once more and off to the Semi Finals. Adrian and Trevor both skate really good and miss the 10 cut by only a few points. They have been killing it all weekend. After they skate we all head over to the vert ramp and cruise around on it for awhile. We hang out and watch the finals, then best trick and go back to the hotel. We hang out in our room for awhile, watch Casino and Blow on the TV and then off for one last night at the Green Room and it was another great night there.

After that (The Time is now around 5am) we ended up at an after hotel party where everybody was up cruising from room to room hanging out. We get to Matt Balls room and play a game of skate inside of the room and then the game proceeds into a crazy game of smash your friends with the mattresses. The mattress games gets out of hand and the mattress ends up off the balcony. The cops are called and we all jump into bed pretending like we are all asleep. The cops come in and everybody just starts laughing. They give us the normal routine with threats of being kicked out of the hotel and then leave. We then all move into the Tum Yeto room and make plans to stay up all night since we have to be at the airport in a few hours. Josh Beagle passes out first after asking everybody to wake him up in an hour. That hour rolls around and so does 5 more hours and we are awaked by a maid saying we have to get out because check out time has come and gone. Apparently Gareth told everyone not to wake me up so we could get some sleep.

Mon.
We all wake up really late, off to the airport for another random encounter with Lizard (nobody knows his real name) at Applebees for a feast and off we go to the plane for a safe trip home. THE END!

The new skatepark here in SD (down the street from TY) is finally opening on the 29th, this Thursday at 3pm. Tum Yeto and myself were very involved in this project from its conception so we are very excited about it.

Per the cities request we aren't doing much for fan fare. Tum Yeto will have a tent up and be doing some giveaways along with some team guys skating. Low key, but still going to be fun.

Yo, some info on Ethan Fowler’s new band, The Weekend Blacks. Ethan brought in a CD and I got to listen to it. It’s very good stuff, I’m not a professional music reviewer so here goes….Rock and Roll! Straight up good rock and roll.
Other than that Ethan’s been busy filming and buying and selling stereo equipment.

Corey Duffel’s Sessions pant is finally completed. Look for it in shops in at this trade show and then in shops in a couple months. It also comes in a black and white pen stripped.

Corey has also been heavily involved in designing his first shoe for 88. With much labor it will finally be done and in the new 88 catalog this ASR, its called the Avenger.

In other Corey news, he’s filming for the new Clayton video; a local video of him and all his friends. It will be called ‘beware of the FUPA’, and it will be totally awesome! Plus, Corey just got a new sponsor, a new sunglass company called Hoven. Consisting of Corey Duffel, Scott Bourne and Jason Jesse.

Johnny Layton just called to tell me he wants to get a lot of footage. And he wants it to be good. Prepare for doomsday. Stock up on food, batteries and fresh water, Good and Evil is coming...just ask J-Lizza.

The Flobots have officially hit the California shores. Coming from Kansas City, Vancouver , and even as far as Corona, they've come to go hog for the Tempster and Monster Squad. The invasion has begun.

Leo was kind enough to let me jack his photos and put his private moments on the web for everyone to see. Hopefully in the future Leo will bring in more and more photos of his exploits and we will have an on-going "Leo's exploits" slideshows.